


Falling Leads to Hanging

by orphan_account



Series: Valdemar Madness 101 [2]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Other, valdemar being valdemar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-24 19:09:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20019562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Can Valdemar really handle the feeling of falling for someone, or will they throw it away out of fear of the unknown?





	Falling Leads to Hanging

**Author's Note:**

> Again, I didn't double check because I was too hyped to post this. I made myself sad writing this, I hope you enjoy!

Your running soon became walking when the shouts of Vesuvia’s guards faded away. You shot one more glance behind you to double check and once you were satisfied, you halted and glanced at the plague doctor by your side. The two of you held each other’s gaze for a while before you couldn’t contain your laughter anymore. You doubled over and cackled at the absurdity of it all. 

A week ago, you didn’t even know who Valdemar was. Now, you were not only close to them, but you had gotten caught up in what the Countess Nadia now considered a very grave series of crimes. Oh, how disappointed Asra must be right now. It was funny, but a part of you was also worried at how easily you threw everything away. 

“Did you hear her?!” You took in a gasping breath. “Crimes against humanity! If I hadn’t gotten us out of that trial, you were going to get crucified and burnt to death for sure!” 

An exasperated smile stretched Valdemar’s lips, putting their sharp teeth in showcase. “‘Crimes against humanity’.” They repeated. “I find that term exaggerated. I did what I did for the plague, after all. She may twist the truth all she wants, but we know better, do we not, pet?” Your giggling abruptly stopped at the mention of a pet name directly towards you. Before you could answer, your face burned bright red.

“Y-yeah!” You stuttered, avoiding to look at the Quaestor in the eyes. “Gotta do what you  
gotta do.” 

Now this was the purest form of entertainment. Between the way you reacted to their carefully chosen words to their very own reaction to your embarrassment, Valdemar had gotten the thrill of the century. They could stretch this out a bit more, for the sake of a good show. They hadn’t had a little fun in a long time, after all. You were the first to be attracted to them in a long, long, long while. They might as well take advantage of it. 

“I have to thank you, however.” They lowered their voice to a mere whisper as they approached you. “For doing most of my bidding while I was unavailable.” You had to crane your neck to keep a good eye contact with them. Having Valdemar tower over you like that was… immensely satisfying. 

“I… It was nothing much, really…” You stammered for a few seconds before continuing. “Hiding a few bodies and finalizing some deals with local underground salesmen-” 

“I must apologize for the mess you had to deal with, (Y/N).” The way they said your name sent shivers all the way to the tip of your fingers and toes. “It was quite a bloodshed, from what I heard before my trial. There came a time where I doubted you’d arrive on time for me. I’m glad you still came along.” Their hand lifted your chin upwards while they leaned down, keeping their ruby red eyes on yours. 

You swallowed thickly, knowing what might come next. Well, you knew what action would come next, but you had no idea how Valdemar would administer it. How would it feel to be kissed by someone usually so cold to others? Would it feel like a blessing, to be different then the majority? Would it feel inexperienced? Did they ever kiss someone before you? 

“You have proven to be useful, magician. I would like to keep you by my side for longer.” You could feel their breath tickling your lips now. “What do you have to say about that? You have already been accused for crimes against humanity as well, seeing as you came to free me from execution.” 

You didn’t want to answer with words. Besides, you had heard somewhere that actions spoke louder than words. 

You quickly grabbed the material of Valdemar’s labcoat and tugged them down a bit more so you could capture their lips with yours. It felt like sealing a contract. Like making a deal. Now that you were stuck in their illegal bullshit, you might as well make it count. 

As if kissing them triggered something, the hand under your chin travelled to the back of your head, trapping you there. Their other hand pressed on your lower back, forcing you as close to them as possible. Their kiss was rough and almost… feral. It made your head spin and your heart flutter. Not only did they take your breath away, but it also took your need to breathe with it as well. Right now, all that mattered was them. It was all you needed, no? The world had forsaken you; Vesuvia was currently ready to end you as soon as they could. 

A whimper escaped you when their sharp teeth tugged at your lower lip. You felt their smile against your mouth as they slipped their tongue through your parted lips. Your hands started to ache from fisting the clothing of their lab coat for so long. When they finally parted from you, you couldn’t help but follow them until their lips were thoroughly out of your reach. 

Valdemar’s eyes scanned yours for a moment. There was something that didn’t feel right. They had kissed plenty before; some of their experiments needed more deceiving than others, of course. But there was something about this one in particular that didn’t settle right with them. The tingling sensation on their lips had never been there before. The rush of adrenaline was entirely new and nearly made their head spin. The only thing they could blame it on was you; you were the only new thing in their life now. Whatever you were making them go through, they weren’t sure that they wanted to experience it.

Their silence made you somewhat uncomfortable. “Well, uh… I don’t know about you, but I’d like to find a place to rest.” You started, nervously wringing your hands together. You had gotten used to Valdemar just analyzing you like they had done for the past week, but this type felt different. Alright, they weren’t letting up. So, like a sort of normal person, you simply spun on your heels and walked away. It was getting dark anyways, and the chances of finding somewhere safe to rest without being caught by Vesuvian guards were very slim. 

“You do know I don’t sleep, I hope?” The Quaestor asked from behind you. Their assessment session wasn’t finished yet. And from the way your shoulders were slightly tensed every once in a while, you definitely knew. They just wanted to pinpoint what was wrong with them; or, well, what was wrong with you, to make them feel like this. 

“Yeah, and maybe you don’t need to sleep. But I do, and I’m going to sleep tonight. So while I do that, you can do whatever you’d like. Although I’ll be disappointed if I woke up tomorrow and you just ditched me.” Saying it outloud, it sounded more accurate than them waiting an entire night for you to get your energy back. 

“Mhm, no. Not yet.” They were telling the truth about that. They wanted to test more things; coax more reactions out of themselves thanks to your presence. Sure, they didn’t really want any part of it, but that didn’t mean they didn’t want to test their limits when it came to such… sudden bursts of affection, so to speak. 

The two of you made it to the outskirts of Vesuvia by downfall. The field you had stopped in for the night was a bit safer than the forest, but the tall grass could probably cover you while you slept on the ground. The only issue was that Valdemar would most likely get bored during the night, but that wasn’t your problem, it was theirs. If they didn’t like it, they could leave. 

But that thought made your heart ache. The kiss the two of you shared in the forest seemed to awaken some feelings. Or maybe it had strengthened them, considering you already had a weak spot for the doctor beforehand. How could you not? They were attractive, calm, honest to a fault, and up until now, you had thought they were out of reach for you. It was the perfect mixture to create the worst of crushes. Plus, with the two of you being wanted for the same type of crimes, it gave you that much more in common. Maybe you hadn’t fallen for them yet, but you could feel it coming at an extremely rapid pace. 

You settled down on the grass, shedding your upper layer of clothes and draping it on top of you as a makeshift blanket. “You know you can just leave, right?” You reminded them as they simply remained standing and looked around. You had no idea how much they could see in the dark, but apparently it was more than you. 

“And leave you? I think not.” They withheld your gaze. “Believe it or not, dear, but I do find myself enjoying your company.” There was a foreign sort of… twinkle in their eyes when they looked down at you. If someone would have told you, a week ago, that you’d kick off into this type of… relationship (could you call it that?) with someone like Valdemar, you would have never believed it. It wouldn’t even have crossed your mind, honestly. 

A you felt a smile strain on the muscles around your mouth. “Thanks.” Your gaze then went up to the sky. You were ready to go to sleep, but it seemed like your brain wasn’t ready to shut off now, so all you had to do was wait for it to realize that you were done for the day. 

You heard the grass on your right shift and when you turned your head to see just what was going on, Valdemar was lying on their back next to you. Was it weird to be surprised that they were laying down? You just didn’t imagine them as a laying down type of person. They soon noticed your staring and gave you a teasing smile. “What?” They questioned. 

“Never really pictured you just… laid back like that.” You admitted. “I don’t know, it just didn’t make sense to me before.” 

A chuckle escaped them as their ruby eyes watched you carefully. “You are an odd one, (Y/N). I may not sleep, but giving my feet a rest is satisfying nonetheless.” They scanned your face once more before looking up at the star. “Do you know about astronomy, magician?”

This was your time to shine. “A bit. When were you born?” Was that a hiccup coming from Valdemar? No, apparently not. Right now, they cackled, their hands resting on their abdomen as their legs folded up from the tension of laughter. 

“Astronomy, not astrology.” 

“...it’s not the same thing?” You were thoroughly confused. All Asra ever taught you was the placement of the stars and how it impacted life itself… And you knew a lot about zodiac, seeing as it was a type of fortune telling. “You know, with the… zodiac and stuff.” 

“Those things? I don’t mean to insult you, but magic like that is based on nothing concrete. Astronomy is science.” Alright. Astrology=magic, astronomy=science.They pointed up to the sky, making you gaze up at the stars above you. “No one has ever explored beyond the earth, but I do believe stars are giant balls of gas, burning for millennials on end.”

“Gas? It couldn’t be.” You grimaced at the absurdness. “It wouldn’t just stay together like that. The gas would spread. It wouldn’t just stay like a dot of light.” 

“What if the laws of physics didn’t apply to what’s beyond the sky?” Valdemar hummed, giving you what looked like a genuine smile when your eyes dulled with both confusion and realization. They eyes gleamed instead of remaining harsh and uncaring. Their lips curled upwards but instead of grinning like they usually do, they exposed more of their teeth and you could see the strain on the corners of their mouth; like they were trying to dim the act of glee itself. It was the most beautiful thing you had ever witnessed. “Do you see that bright star over there? It looks like it’s right in the middle of the sky.” 

You nodded once you spotted it, eager to hear the kind of things Valdemar knew about it. “That’s what explorers use to navigate the seas. Unlike the other stars, this one stays remotely the same throughout the year when the Earth spins. It’s always located at the north. And since it’s so big in the night sky, I assume that it’s the closest to our home.” They then traced a pattern in the sky. “It’s also what people call constellations. Although I assume you heard of them. If you connect that star with a few more, it’ll form what old tributes called the big dipper. Some others also called it the big bear. Personally, I think it looks more like a pot more than anything.”

You had no idea such tiny things could be so much more… complicated and meaningful. “Can stars be different colours? Other than white?” You asked as your gaze remained focused on the finding in the sky. 

“Hm, I don’t think so. Why?” You pointed up to the peculiar, orange star you were looking at. “Oh, this is interesting. Very interesting indeed.”

“What do you think it is, if it’s not a star?” 

“Do you really want to know what I believe?” You ripped your gaze away from the heavenly sight to look at them, eyes filled with wonder. Once you wordlessly nodded, Valdemar looked back at you. They seemed… relaxed. Like they were really enjoying this talk. “I think it’s another world.” Your throat went dry. 

“Like… a realm?” 

They shrugged. “Magic has proven to be a powerful thing. If I recall, you mentioned some magical worlds, untouchable for the inexperienced?” You nodded. “There you have it. Who’s to say that’s not one of those? They must be connected to our world somehow, no?” 

“That’s amazing…” You sighed. If you could have done things differently in your life, you maybe would have chosen a path that lead towards science instead. “How did you come up with all these theories?” 

“Experiencing with gases, some basic physics and a few accidents in the dungeons.” They smiled fondly, mostly recalling memories of when they still had a place to practice medicine. “I remember the first time I stumbled upon neon gas. I was trying to find something to calm down vivisection patients and I suppose that I forgot to shut off a nearby candle. If I recall correctly, I screeched when the thing lit up.” 

You let out a giggle at the image, which turned into a set of giggling that did not stop. That was way too funny to you. “I know, I know.” They swatted at your arm. “Quiet down, or I’ll shut you up myself. My license may have been suspended, but I still remember everything.” 

“Sorry, sorry.” You took in a deep breath, choking back another onslaught of guffaws. Luckily, it was all pushed down by a yawn. “Ah, finally. My brain knows what’s up.” 

“You must be exhausted. I’m impressed you lasted this long into my boring talk of abstract science.” They looked you up and down, gaze settling right underneath your eyes for a tad bit longer. “Do you have insomnia, by any chance?” 

“Not quite, but I do have trouble falling asleep sometimes. Did the eyebags give it away?” You laughed at your own misery while Valdemar nodded before sitting up. 

“There are a few pressure points on the face that trigger sleep.” When you didn’t move an inch, they rolled their eyes. “Well? Don’t be shy now, I won’t hurt you. ...not unless you want me to.” Your face flushed red when they patted their lap. Oh… that’s why they sat up… 

Not wanting to leave them waiting even more, you obeyed them and rested your head on their thighs, looking up to the sky. Valdemar’s precise fingers traced the space between your eyebrows as another hand trailed down to your inner wrist. “This must be more comfortable than laying on the ground, is it not?” You would have answered, but you were really afraid to break whatever hypnosis you were in. Your eyes had a hard time remaining open. You weren’t about to fight against sleep. No, you’d take it with open arms. 

Your night’s sleep was cut short by the feeling of someone roughly grabbing your shoulders.Your heart thundered against your ribcage as you struggled to understand what was going on until cold metal surrounded your wrists. “I GOT THE WITCH!” A voice behind you yelled. No. Oh, no. 

You struggled against the guard as best you could, but they had a strong grip on you. You could feel the frustration growing within your throat, which escaped you as a sob. You couldn’t see Valdemar. 

But they saw you. They had only left for about half an hour to explore the surroundings; to see if tall grass was really all there was to this place. When they returned, guards were pinning you down. They wanted to scream your name; to brew up a storm and show those brutes what hell really looked like, but they managed to catch themselves before they made a huge mistake. Why would they even save you in the first place? Because you mattered to them? They don’t get attached. Because you were special? You were a mere human. Because… Because they fell for you? If Valdemar was still human, it would have been a possibility. But they weren’t. Love is impossible for them. Even if they did step in and saved you, you would leave them sooner or later. Whether it was a conscious decision or through death. Things were bound to go to shit, so why make the process longer than it should be?

Using the remains of their ability to restrain themselves, they simply followed the sound of your struggling all the way to the city. Once in, they had their suspicions about what would happen to you. The only issue was that they couldn’t get a front row seat to it, considering the fact that they’d get caught. 

You had shed all the tears your body could make. Your head pounded due to your dehydration, but you knew that it wouldn’t last any longer. Your breathing was unsteady while Nadia looked up to you in disgust. “(Y/N) (L/N),” She started. “For one, I am truly disappointed in you. I thought of you as an equal; a beam of hope for this city. It pains me to announce that you are accused by the court and the people of Vesuvia for crimes against humanity itself. Assisting former doctor Valdemar in their atrocities is punishable with death by public hanging.” The crowd behind the Countess cheered. 

Your eyes darted around the place. You had no idea what you were looking for. Anything familiar to ground yourself to. And maybe it was for the best that you didn’t find what you were looking for; Asra was nowhere to be seen. “This is your last chance at redemption, (Y/N).” Nadia warned. “Tell us Valdemar’s whereabouts and you may be forgiven by whoever awaits you on the other side.”

Your throat closed up as the entire city waited for your answer. “I…” You caught a flash of white fabric in the distance and you abruptly stopped. Nadia must have mistook it for simple shock. 

There they were, looking directly at you. When your eyes dove into their red ones, there was nothing. No twinkle like there was yesterday, no emotion. It was cold and harsh; almost mockingly so. Like they didn’t even know you. It hurt, but you should have expected it. You wouldn’t be surprised if they had just… given away your position to the guards somehow. 

You looked back at Nadia. “I have no idea where doctor Valdemar is.” You, unlike them, were going to remain somewhat loyal. 

“Fair enough.” She closed her eyes in annoyance, as if you were unworthy of her attention. “You shall pay for your crimes.” 

She had turned her back on you and you didn’t even get the chance to take a breath before the wooden trap underneath your feet gave way. Valdemar watched you fall down and flinched when the rope tightened. Cheering echoed through the streets as they grimaced. How foolish humans were, punishing murderers by killing them. They were simply promoting said crime. 

It then dawned upon them that they had witnessed the end of you. Your being as it is was no more. 

They turned around and walked away as if it were nothing, but they wouldn’t lie to themselves. They’d miss you.


End file.
